Thursday, May 30, 2013

I realized today that the majority of the time when I'm thinking about my goals I'm thinking about them in comparison to someone else.

I want to have a nice body like...

I would love to have the artistic reputation of...

I want to have as much style as...

I want my blog to be like...

I want to travel as much as...

I suppose it's only natural to model our goals after things we see from others that we want, or think we would want. People's lives, or the positive doppelganger version of their lives, are on display for us to see and compare ourselves to 24/7 through social media. Because of this I think it's important to take time and really self-reflect on what you really want verses what you've seen someone else has and you think you want.

Create the unique vision of your dreams and success unrelated to what others have.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tree Hut. All opinions are 100% mine.

It's not a secret that I love hair, skin, nail, and beauty products. It's also no secret that I like those products to have good ingredients in them. I was recently introduced to Tree Hut products, which I'd never heard of before. Their products aren't completely natural, but they contain certified organic shea butter and natural oils and extracts, and are paraben free.

Summer is here, which means sandals are here. The Polyvore board below pretty much sums up what I anticipate to be my summer staple wardrobe, maxi dresses, cute wedge sandles, and small care-free purses. Dealing with the hot weather to come is all about being comfortable for me. I believe there is a maxi dress for every occasion and I intend to prove it!

I've been trying to get my feet right for extended sandal wear with DIY pedicures, and vinegar foot soaks. I definitely want to try the Tree Hut foot cream. It has Argan and Rose Hip oils, which have natural anti-aging properties and a non-greasy formula (because who doesn’t hate moisturizing your feet and slipping and sliding inside your sandals?!)

They also have a Tree Hut foot scrub with real sugar for a natural exfoliant to smooth the skin. Their Tree Hut hand cream contains aloe vera, nature’s first moisturizer after water, and peppermint oil.

Friday, May 24, 2013

The title should probably read: Why a Tablet is Better than a Laptop...sometimes.

When smartphones came out, I couldn't fathom being on the internet on such a small screen. The iPhone certainly won me over. When tablets emerged, I couldn't see why I would want one. If I want a big screen, I have a laptop, if I want a small screen I have my phone, why would I need an in between?

Currently, I have a Nexus 7 and Husband has an iPad. I've found that a tablet has a very specific niche in my life.

Four instances when a tablet is better than a laptop or smartphone

1. When you want to really recline. If I'm not feeling well, or tired, or really want to stretch out on the couch or bed, the tablet is much more convenient than balancing a laptop and angling the screen perfectly to be able to see.

2. When you're browsing under covers. Literally under the covers. At night if I or my husband is ready to hit the hay, but the other is not, we slip the tablet/ipad under the covers and the other is none the wise. You can do this with a smartphone too but...

3. When you're doing graphic heavy activities or precision gaming. The screen size of the tablet makes Pinterest, Instagram, etc. much more enjoyable than on the small smartphone screen, and much more portable and comfortable than a laptop. Also, games that require precision pressing or swiping, are easier to play on a larger screen.

4. When you're on the go for an extended period of time. When you know you're going to be sitting somewhere for an extended period of time, too much time to look at a small screen, but not long enough to whip out a laptop, a tablet comes in handy. Tablet are good for occurrences like waiting in a hospital, where you're likely to moving from place to place often, but waiting for a while as well.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

I have been natural going on 3 years this August. Although the transition was quite a process but one that was so worth it as I am so excited for the transition.

My new dilema is I am greying mostly in the front of my hair around the edges and find it very annoying that in less than 2 weeks my greys are showing again. I try to hold out as long as I can before coloring (permanent color) again by using touch up mascara and lipstick application touch up. Can you recommend a brand or other alternative? Is Henna better than store brands.

I am getting to a point where I just want to cut off my hair and start fresh by embracing my greys but feel I am too young to be sporting greys now. I am torn as I have always had long hair and have no idea what I will look like with very short close to bald hair should I to a BC :(

HELP!!!

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Firstly, thanks so much for taking the time to ask me a question :-). Ok, here's the deal:

The only store brand color I have used is Shea Moisture, which I used very recently and loved the results:

It worked well, and didn't dry my hair out. I can't attest to the staying power yet because it's only been about a week. I would say Henna is better than store brands in that it is all natural. However, the only color you can get from true henna is red. Do not use any Henna that claims to offer a different color, because that means unnatural ingredients have been added to it, and it may not be safe.

This is probably not the answer you want to hear, but I think you should embrace your grays! You don't have to necessarily big chop, you could just grow out your already existing color. You can transition out the same way you did with going natural. Don't feel pressured to big chop!

Monday, May 13, 2013

During the v/bloggers cafe at the Philadelphia Natural Hair Show I was asked some questions multiple times, so I thought I'd share a few of the answers here.

How long have you been natural? I had my last relaxer in May of 2008

How often do you wash your hair? I co-wash (wash with conditioner, not shampoo) once a week unless I have a style in that I'd like to keep for longer than a week. About once a month I'll wash my hair with an organic black soap shampoo or Shea Moisture Purification Mask.

How do you untangle/detangle your hair? I don't use combs or brushes at all. I detangle my hair in the shower (without the water running) with my hair wet and soaked in conditioner with just my fingers. I am constantly finger detangling. If I'm doing anything to my hair (twisting, adding product, styling, etc.) I'm simultaneously finger detangling.

Do you avoid any ingredients in hair products? In general, I avoid parabens, silicones, mineral oil, sulfates, and any ingredient with a hazard rating of 3 or more on EWG. With some exceptions, but that's my general rule of thumb.

What are your favorite products?Rinse out conditioner: Tresemme Naturals

Thursday, May 9, 2013

I think my husband and I are pretty strange. Not in a bad way, but in a "I predict we're sillier than many couples" sort of way. Perhaps this is an ill assumption since I don't actually SEE other couples when they are alone, but suffice it to say, my husband and I are silly. We laugh a lot at home and play lots of games. Our recent obsession is an iPad/iPhone game called Heads Up! It's a party game that involves one person holding an iPad or iPhone to their forehead while others try to indicate through gesture, words, humming, etc. what is displayed on the screen for the person to guess. It's pretty much a high-tech version of charades. There is a multitude of categories: animals, celebrities, songs, etc. You can change the "card" or pass by tilting your head forth or back. What makes it cooler than just having cards like charades or Taboo is that it RECORDS the person giving the clues.

Our videos from the game were cracking me up so much I decided to compile some for you to laugh to:

I received no compensation for this post or sharing video of my husband and I looking silly. I wrote this post on my own accord.

What silly things do you and your significant other get into when you're alone?

Sunday, May 5, 2013

This weekend I attended the Philly Natural Hair Show and had a BLAST. There were so many beautiful women in attendance with natural hair, it really made me happy. I snapped this picture which I thought was an awesome testament to the versatility and uniqueness of natural hair.

Here's a snapshot of my hair and outfit for the day. I purchased this shirt a while ago from Forever 21 with the plan to wear to the hair show.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

My husband and I are coming up on two years owning our house. When we moved in, we both had grand plans for our front and back yards. Unfortunately we've done very little towards making those plans come to life. This year we want to get at least one of the yards in shape. To do this, we'll need gardening supplies and likely many pinterest tutorials. We do currently have a weed problem, especially in the back yard. Scotts Florida Select Natural Eucalyptus Mulch is a sustainable gardening method of weed prevention. A three-inch layer of Scotts Nature Scapes mulch prevents weeds by blocking growth and access to sunlight.

The key with the mulch is to apply around trees, shrubs, flowers or vegetables AFTER the seeds have germinated and the plants have developed.

With Scotts Nature Scapes mulch we'll have the weed situation taken care of. It comes in three different colors, Classic Black, Sierra Red, and Deep Forest Brown to match whatever color scheme we decide on. We're not too bad in the way of tools, since we've intended for almost two years to do something with the yard. We have a shovel, hoe, rake, lawnmower and hedge clipper. What we're really missing is accessories. I'd love some sort of rock path, some back yard seating and some sort of water fixture.

I have plenty of lip glosses and chap-sticks so I won't buy the LipFusion stick again any time soon. The appeal of it for me was having a chap-stick that dispensed like a lipstick, that just always made it feel like it was cooler than your average chap stick.

from the LipFusion website

The Urban Decay eyeliner is one of the best eyeliners I've used. It went on very smoothly and lasted all day but was pretty easy to wash off at night. I do however have a lot of eyeliners, and just started using gel eyeliner which I really like, so I probably won't be re-purchasing this any time soon either.